


The List

by robinasnyder



Series: Come Here, Pretty Kitty [4]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Cat People AU, Catboy Lucifer, Catboys & Catgirls, M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-06
Updated: 2014-01-06
Packaged: 2018-01-07 16:20:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1121955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/robinasnyder/pseuds/robinasnyder
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam has a new, unruly, violent, starving Kit to bring home. Lucifer has one last chance and Sam intends to help him make it as best he can.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The List

Sam got a call from Cheryl while he’s at work. Normally this never happened. He’d called her more than enough because of Samandriel. They’re on a first, last and middle name basis. Cheryl always complimented him on having his paperwork done perfectly. He had all his permits, all his licenses, everything. Generally it isn’t a problem, if a Kit has a collar, who’s going to ask. But Samandriel was just starting to be confident and to feel really safe and Sam wasn’t going to jeopardize that on a technicality. 

Which was probably why Sam’s blood pressure shot through the roof when he answered his phone at work and found it was Cheryl. 

“Hello Sam,” she said. 

“Oh God! Did something happen? Did Samandriel wind up back at the shelter?” Sam asked. 

“No, no, this isn’t about Samandriel. I have a very large favor to ask you,” she said, sounding soothing. 

“Oh… maybe next time don’t give me a heart attack first… what is it?” 

“I have a Kit a need you to foster for a year.” 

“Another Kit? Cher, I just got Samadriel out.” 

“Which is why you’re the perfect candidate, Sam. Lucifer is a good Kit. I mean, he can be. He’s never going to be a “good dog” type. But he’s never been cruel to any member of the staff, at least not ones we didn’t have to fire later. Normally the violent ones act out in the Shelter to.” 

“Wait, did you say violent?” Sam said, sitting up straighter in his ergonomic office chair. 

“I did… Sam, I have 60 hours to find Lucifer someone who is willing to foster him for a year or longer or I’ll be obligated to put him down.” 

“I… Cher, that’s not a lot of time to decide.” 

“Which is why I called you first, Sam.” She sounded worried. Sam normally found her to be unflappable. 

“Okay, tell me about him.” 

“He is violent. The judge ordered him put in isolation, but we’ve never known him to attack Kits, or workers at the Shelter. But it has a problem with his owners. He beat his last one bloody, nearly bit off his ear. The man needed surgery.” 

“Is he okay?” 

“Yes,” Cheryl said. “Or I wouldn’t have been able to plead Lucifer’s case. The only workers Lucifer hasn’t been kind to were three we had to fire, one for animal cruelty, one for embezzling, and one because she was simply so bad at her work that it bordered on abuse. He’s good with people… but he also has scars, a lot of them.” 

“Damn,” Sam muttered. That was never a good sign. Kits weren’t supposed to be abused or pressured into sex. There were laws. But people did all kinds of things in their privacy of their own home to other humans, even their own families, let alone Kits who had a lot less legal recourse than any human. You beat someone long enough, leave enough scars and they’ll lash out. 

“He can be very kind, Sam. And as I said: he’s never harmed another Kit before. You’re young enough, you have resources. Frankly, you’re also taller and currently much stronger than him.” 

“Currently?” Sam asked. 

“He’s big, nearly as tall as you and if he was his proper weight he’d be bigger than you. But he’s been losing weight for a while now. We have trouble getting him to eat anything. He’s starving now. We’ve taken to giving him supplements and an IV drip one day.” 

“But that stuff can be really expensive,” Sam said, understanding. They wouldn’t be able to keep him much longer even if they didn’t have the current deadline. 

“Yes, which is why you’re the best candidate. Samandriel doesn’t live with you at the moment and is unlikely to need you. You’re bigger than him, younger than him, stronger than him and you’d be able to help him. The only people who do their paperwork as well as you do either have a severe need for perfection or really care. I’ve seen how you are with Samandriel… and you know I wouldn’t ask if this wasn’t important.” 

“Alright,” Sam said. 

“You’ll come see him?” Cheryl asked. 

“I’m take him.” 

“Sam, you’re amazing!” 

* * *

 

He certainly didn’t feel amazing when he gets Lucifer home. Lucifer is too thin. This isn’t even crash diet too thin. According to Cheryl Lucifer has been slowly losing more and more weight for the past at least ten years, maybe longer. Lucifer is in his 40s, too, which means it’s going to be nearly impossible to place him after Sam keeps him for a year. Even harder because Lucifer’s marked for being violent. 

Lucifer was mute the entire ride home. Sam kept the radio on, but down low, lower than Sam would normally keep it. Kits had more sensitive hearing and Sam didn’t know Lucifer’s limits yet. The noise at least gave them an excuse not to talk. Lucifer watched the world rush by, his ears flat to his skull. His golden color tail twitched in his lap, partially wrapped around his leg so he wouldn’t be sitting on it so much. A lot of Sam’s chairs at home were designed with tails in mind, but not all of them and there wasn’t a car in existence that catered to tails. 

Lucifer didn’t complain, though. Same caught Lucifer looking at him in the reflection in the window, but Sam didn’t comment on it. There was a lot of could say, but he didn’t feel like it would be a good idea to bring any of it up yet. 

The Shelter had given him a bag with some of Lucifer’s things. This was fairly common as most owners didn’t want to run right out and get their Kit new clothes and Kit toys. Lucifer’s bag had a few changes of clothes, a pair of crochet needles and a Kit toy. The clothes were of an acceptable quality, not as nice as Sam could afford and would eventually buy him, but serviceable for the moment. 

It was the personal items that gave Sam pause. The crochet needles themselves didn’t surprise him. They didn’t match in size and Sam wouldn’t have known what they were if someone hadn’t told him specifically what they were. They were metal and colorful and modern looking except they also look a bit chewed on at the ends. There was no yarn. 

There was only one actual toy, it reminded Sam more of something that would belong to a Kitten. It was sort of half-bear half rattle and was so ratty that Sam wondered if maybe Lucifer had it since he was a child. It was clearly old and well loved and probably all of the cat nip smell has worn off. But Sam understands sentimentality and he didn’t even ask any the pitiful amount of things Lucifer has. That was a discussion for another day, a day when Lucifer wasn’t on such uneven ground. 

When they arrived Sam grabbed the bag of things before Lucifer could. Lucifer stared at him and Sam offered him the bag. Samandriel had practically burst into tears when Sam had picked up his bag, expecting Sam to take everything and never give them back. Lucifer eyed Sam with enough wariness that Sam wasn’t going to make the same mistake. 

He led Lucifer into the elevator and up to their apartment. Sam had a nice place. He was a Lawyer at a really good law firm, and he was very proud of his position and the work he’d put forth in order to achieve his position. He didn’t spend frivolously either which meant that his apartment had a nice security system and guards and all that, but that it wasn’t that big. 

“This way,” Sam said. He led Lucifer to what had been Samandriel’s room. Samandriel had picked out a red blanket with stars when he’d first arrived, though he’d switched to a more sedate blue. He’d taken the blue with him when he moved out. Lucifer stared at the red blanket and then looked back at Sam with a look that clearly said ‘Really?’

“Yeah, yeah, Samandriel picked it. You can pick your own later, but it’s what I’ve got for now,” Sam said. He stood in the door way and didn’t go inside. “This is your room. Mine’s closer to the kitchen. Your bathroom is right here.” Sam knocked on the door to his left that was down the hall. “And the towel closet is on your left. Would you like to shower and change before dinner?” 

Lucifer nodded and Sam left him alone. Sam had come right from the office, so he went and changed into jeans and a tee-shirt. Now he had to figured out how to feed Lucifer. Cheryl had assured him that Lucifer had been killing himself for a while. But for someone who was starving themselves, Lucifer didn’t seem to want to die. Sam had noticed the way Lucifer looked at everything in his apartment. He’d stood tall the entire time. His hair and fur were well groomed, and would probably shine once he got out of the shower. Lucifer was curious and proud and those two traits just bled out of his very pores. Sam just had a hard time believing that Lucifer would be the kind of Kit who’d want to die. 

Besides that, Lucifer would be really pretty if he wasn’t slowly starving to death. He still had an attractive quality, probably from the way he held himself. It was that pride again. It would be a real shame and a real waist if Lucifer just wasted away to nothing. 

Sam considered his options. Lucifer apparently took his vitamins just fine, but Lucifer really needed meat. Sam considered making spaghetti or something, but finally decided against it. He pulled out a couple cans of chicken noodle. It was everyone, except their family’s, catch-all cure for what ailed them. And it had meat in the brother and the soup. Sam couldn’t think of how that would upset Lucifer.

Sam heated the soup. He left the heat on low while he buttered some bread and popped it in the toaster. 

“Soup?” Sam heard Lucifer asked. 

“Chicken noodle,” Sam said. 

“Oh,” Lucifer said and took over tending to the toast. 

With Lucifer’s help it really didn’t take any time at all to get everything on the table. Lucifer poured them both orange juice when Sam asked and Sam was glad he’d gotten the kind with extra pulp. Lucifer was enough to need anything he could get. 

They sat down to eat. Lucifer eyed the bowl in front of him so Sam took a bit of his own first. Samandriel had spent weeks refusing to eat before Sam at least started eating. But Lucifer didn’t even pick up his spoon once Sam was five bites. He just stared blankly at the bowl. 

“It’ll get cold,” Sam said in an off handed manner. But Lucifer didn’t pick up the spoon. He did take a bite of toast, though. That seemed to flip a switch in Lucifer’s mind. He didn’t inhale his toast, but he ate it quiet deliberately and the two pieces and bread Lucifer had made for himself and all of the OJ were gone quite quickly.

But the soup was completely untouched. 

“Do you not like soup?” Sam asked. 

Lucifer eyed him distrustfully. He slowly picked up his spoon. He dipped his spoon in and held it near the surface. He got a heaping helping of noodles, but no meat and Sam could have sworn that he saw Lucifer pour most of the broth back into the bowl. Lucifer eyed the spoonful of food like it was hateful. He popped the whole thing into his mouth, his expression very blank. He chewed slowly and put the spoon back in the bowl. 

“Done,” Lucifer said. 

“Really?” Sam asked, surprised. 

“Done,” Lucifer said more insistently. “Do you want me to wash the dishes?” 

“Ah… no, it’s okay. You can go do whatever,” Sam said. 

“Sleep,” Lucifer said and left. 

Sam sat still, listening until he heard Lucifer’s door shut. Sam sighed heavily. Well, that really hadn’t gone how he planned. Lucifer was clearly starving, but he always clearly hadn’t wanted what was offered and Sam didn’t know what. Lucifer actually liked the women who worked at the Shelter and they’d never been able to pry it out of him. This was going to be difficult. 

* * *

 

Sam woke early and made tomato soup with rice, like mom used to make for them when they weren’t feeling well. It was just comfort food, and Sam felt like he needed it, even if Lucifer didn’t. Sam still had a bit of time before work. He hadn’t even gotten up and put his day clothes on yet. He was still in his Pajamas. 

“Soup?” Sam heard Lucifer ask. Sam turned and saw Lucifer sniffing the air. 

“Yeah, tomato and rice. You can have something else if you don’t like it.” 

“It’s fine,” Lucifer said and went about making toast. 

“I know it’s kind of strange for breakfast,” Sam said. 

“It’s fine,” Lucifer repeated. Sam let it drop after that. He let Lucifer get them OJ and put the toast on the table. Sam put the soup bowls on the table. 

This time was different, a lot different. Lucifer waited until Sam had taken a bite, then he started eating his soup. The entire bowled of soup of cleaned out. Besides the two pieces of toast, Lucifer got a third slice of bread and buttered it, wiping the bowl clean of any leftover soup with the bread. When Sam told Lucifer that he could have more Lucifer finished off what was in the bowl. 

Sam had to leave to get dressed, but when he came back Lucifer was washing dishes. 

“I’m going to work. I’ll be back about six. The house is yours, just don’t leave and don’t break anything. Okay?” 

“Alright,” Lucifer said shortly. 

Sam sighed and left. He didn’t know what had changed between that morning and the previous night but he was very, very glad that Lucifer had actually eaten anything at all. But how much he’d eaten told Sam that Lucifer had still been hungry the previous night. 

When he got in the car he pulled out his phone and emailed himself a simple list: 

Will eat:  
Tomato and Rice Soup  
Toast  
OJ  
Buttered Bread

Won’t eat:  
Chicken Noodle Soup.

 

Sam would just have to figure out the rest from there. Maybe he’d be able to see a pattern eventually. He hoped anyway.


End file.
